Efficacy of Sacral Nerve Stimulation in Non-constipated Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients: A Systematic Review.

Background And Aims: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a prevalent disorder with a complex and heterogeneous physiopathology, including a dysregulation of gut-brain axis. Treatment for IBS is targeted to the predominant symptom and requires a multidisciplinary approach. This review aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sacral nerve stimulation in non-constipated IBS patients Methods: A literature search was carried out on MEDLINE, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and Web of Science databases for all relevant articles.

Quantification and Characterization of CTCs and Clusters in Pancreatic Cancer by Means of the Hough Transform Algorithm.

Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) are considered a prognostic marker in pancreatic cancer. In this study we present a new approach for counting CTCs and CTC clusters in patients with pancreatic cancer using the Isoflux System with the Hough transform algorithm (Hough-Isoflux). The Hough-Isoflux approach is based on the counting of an array of pixels with a nucleus and cytokeratin expression excluding the CD45 signal.

Impact of nitric oxide in liver cancer microenvironment.

The pro- or antitumoral properties of nitric oxide (NO) are dependent on local concentration, redox state, cellular status, duration of exposure and compartmentalization of NO generation. The intricate network of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is constituted by tumor cells, stromal and immune cells surrounded by active components of extracellular matrix that influence the biological behavior and, consequently, the treatment and prognosis of cancer. The review describes critical events in the crosstalk of cellular and stromal components in the TME, with special emphasis in the impact of NO generation in the regulation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Role of Nitric Oxide in Gene Expression Regulation during Cancer: Epigenetic Modifications and Non-Coding RNAs.

Nitric oxide (NO) has been identified and described as a dual mediator in cancer according to dose-, time- and compartment-dependent NO generation. The present review addresses the different epigenetic mechanisms, such as histone modifications and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), miRNA and lncRNA, which regulate directly or indirectly nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expression and NO production, impacting all hallmarks of the oncogenic process. Among lncRNA, HEIH and UCA1 develop their oncogenic functions by inhibiting their target miRNAs and consequently reversing the inhibition of NOS and promoting tumor proliferation.

Feasibility and safety of calcium alginate hydrogel sealant for the treatment of cryptoglandular fistula-in-ano: phase I/IIa clinical trial.

Aim: Complex perianal fistulas pose a challenge to the surgeon since the fistulous tract must be eliminated without impairing continence. Although without strong scientific evidence, some bibliography has demonstrated the efficacy of some sealants in the treatment of anal fistulas. We aimed to assess the feasibility and safety of calcium alginate hydrogel injections into the fistulous tract as treatment for trans-sphincteric cryptoglandular fistulas.